


Excuses and Explanations

by Indehed



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: 30dayfic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:42:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 20,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indehed/pseuds/Indehed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>30 day fic challenge - zero idea where this is going as each daily prompt will ENTIRELY lead this story wherever it goes. </p><p>Steve has been standing Danny up a lot recently and their relationship is looking rocky. Steve is going to have to pull something spectacular out of the bag in order to convince Danny that he's just as committed to their relationship as Danny is. But 'spectacular' isn't what Danny really wants - he'd just like Steve to pay attention and to be there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1: Time

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 30 day challenge over on tumblr. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it up, but I will be going on vacation approx half way through! Let's see what happens!
> 
> http://30dayfic.tumblr.com/

Danny waited. 

He finished his drink with one last gulp, then started to play with the empty glass, rolling it over the white table cloth, running fingertips around the rim. He'd already played with the cutlery and the folded cloth napkin and there was nothing else for him to do.

He beckoned the waiter over and handed over a twenty, part payment for the drink and also a hefty, apologetic tip for taking up the table for so long. 

An hour. 

An hour he'd sat there and waited like an idiot, knowing full well after ten minutes that his 'date' wasn't going to show. 

He pulled his phone out as he headed outside, noticing the rain beginning to fall. He sent a quick text message: **_What excuse this time?_**

Because there always was one. An excuse. They'd tried three times to go out for a meal together. Not just a lunch, or a trip to Kamekona's or Rainbow, an actual, proper, dressing up, fancy restaurant dinner and each time, he'd been blown off with some form of excuse: a meeting with the Governor ran late, the car broke down…

And unless there was a damned good reason this time, Danny was done. He wasn't just some random fuck, he didn't screw around for the sake of getting his rocks off and he didn't want to be that for anyone else. He had a kid to think about, and he owed it to her to be stable in what he did, whether that was in his friendships, colleagues, or in romantic relationships. 

His problem right now, was when one person intersected all three, and he was worried that somewhere in the last few weeks, they'd fucked everything up. They should never have fallen into bed together that night, if they hadn't, Danny wouldn't be worrying right now that he and Steve could be over. Entirely over.


	2. Day 2: Water

He made it to the car before the light drops of rain turned into a deluge falling from the sky. Typical. It matched his bad mood, making him feel like he had some control over the weather, though if he did, he'd make Hawaii suffer through the occasional New Jersey winter day, just to watch the infernal cheeriness dissipate, if only for a short while.

He drove home, wind screen wipers on high, radio down low but he still heard the beep and the sound of the vibration of his phone against the leather on the empty seat beside him where it sat taunting him. He glared at it. He wasn't going to read it until he was in the house. If he did, he'd end up wrapped around a telephone pole in anger.

He stewed, waiting on the last red light on his commute to turn green, gripping the steering wheel tightly and imagining all the ways he wanted to slap Steve McGarrett right now. Punch his stupidly handsome face for being the one to make a move on Danny and yet now? Now he was standing him up, making him feel like an idiot for going out, for waiting, for thinking they could make this work.

_'We spend all our time together anyway, what difference does it make adding sex?'_

Damn McGarrett and his stupid persuasive techniques and hands that had trailed over Danny's body and a mouth that drove him to distraction. Damn him to hell.

He pulled up in his drive, the rain still battering down on the roof of the car, making everything inside feel quiet and echoey, when his phone buzzed to reminded him he still had a text message waiting. 

He grabbed his phone and pushed the door open, fat drops of water landing on his good suit. He ran for the door, avoiding the torrent as much as possible but still feeling soggy by the time he closed the door behind himself. 

He wiped over the screen of his phone and brought up the message: _**Sorry. I can explain.**_

"I bet you can," Danny murmured to himself and threw the phone onto the couch, abandoned it and went into the bedroom to get changed.


	3. Day 3: Tree

He put on pajama pants, an old t-shirt and decided he wasn't going to care about Steve for the rest of the night. Instead, he was going to concentrate on something else… something… well, whatever wasn't going to start him thinking about Steve again. 

He was about to sit down on the couch and grab for the remote control when he realized he hadn't eaten anything and was actually rather hungry. Having waited on Steve for so long, his anger had taken over and kept him going, but now he was just feeling tired, a little run down, and empty. 

He sighed and made his way into the kitchen, chucking left over Chinese into the microwave and then going back to the couch, where his phone was sitting, screen lit up with incoming texts.

_**Danny?** _

Like that kind of text would help. He continued onto another one he'd missed. 

_**I'll make it up to you.** _

"That's what you said the last time. And the time before," Danny muttered to himself as he deleted them.

_**Come over?** _

The last one read and he scoffed. Seriously? How about why didn't Steve show up at the restaurant a couple of hours previously? And Danny sure as hell wasn't going to run around after him. He was done with that. If he was so worried about Danny's reaction, he'd be seeking him out, not the other way around. And he'd be groveling. On bended knee. 

He shook his head and began battering his fingers against the touchscreen as he replied: _**I'll see you at work tomorrow.**_

He threw the phone aside and began scanning the TV channels for an ice hockey game, any would do, and settled back with his crappy Chinese food. So much for the night out, all dressed up, looking good in suits, wearing the best aftershave, enjoying each others' company then maybe taking a walk, finding a more secluded area, maybe down a quiet stretch of beach, or maybe by one of those random clumps of rainforest they have around here. They'd be laughing, a little tipsy on some good wine, when Steve pushed him back against a tree, hard bark digging into Danny's back but he wouldn't mind because Steve could kiss and his hands would roam down Danny's side so distractingly that nothing else would matter. 

Just like that first time. When Steve had done just that in his back yard when he'd been high on a mixture of painkillers and beer and it had made him brave enough to start all of this. Danny had never thought it could go beyond the frisson of tension between them, even if he had acknowledged what it was. He thought Steve was on the same page and then he'd taken the plunge. 

Things had been going well since. They sure seemed to be. They worked just as well together as always, and the only real difference was that hanging out had become more intimate. Steve had even taken to throwing out random 'i love you's like it was no big deal. 

So what the hell was his problem with dating? 

Danny shook himself out of his thoughts, his Chinese growing cold and he had no clue who was winning the game. 

Then his phone buzzed again. 


	4. Day 4: Eye

Danny had ignored the next few texts that came in. But they were all the same, just Steve typing ' _Danny?_ ' over and over until finally, after about six or seven of them, they died off.

He'd fallen asleep on the sofa, game on low and remote control sitting on his chest. He hadn't meant to, but in the middle of trying to distract his thoughts away from Steve, as well as finding out he couldn't stop thinking about Steve, he'd exhausted his mind as it flew in circles until finally he'd succumbed to the heaviness in his eyelids. He hadn't even noticed closing them. 

He woke with a start and scratched idly at his chest as he looked around himself, squinting into the lamplight in the living room and stretching his back and neck out where he'd been at an uncomfortable angle. 

The rain was still coming down heavily outside and he assumed that was what had woken him, until a pounding at the door startled him. 

Maybe it hadn't been the rain. 

The banging didn't wait long before starting again as Danny padded to the door mumbling that he was coming and did people realize it was late…

Opening it, he was forced to take a step back as Steve pushed inside, getting himself out of the rain and shaking his arms off. The man was in his usual clothing of cargoes, a t-shirt and over-shirt and it was all sticking to him like he'd been in the rain for a long time and yet surely, he'd been in it all of ten seconds to get in from his truck. 

As Steve moved further inside, Danny looked out of the door. There was no truck there.

He closed the door. "Steve, do you realize what time it is?" He turned, sent a wave of anger at his partner and then frowned. He was wearing sunglasses. "And what are those doing on your face?"

"It's just before four and these are sunglasses, they block the light."

"Are you drunk?" he asked. That might explain both Steve's facetiousness and his lack of vehicle. 

"No."

"Effusive as always," Danny shook his head. "Look, whatever it is, I don't care, okay? I decided already. I don't care anymore. You can explain things as much as you like. I'm going to bed, you can see yourself out," he started walking to his bedroom but got only a few feet when Steve's arm stopped him.

"Danny, I just walked ten miles to get here, I think you owe me a chance to explain."

"I owe-" Danny gestured to himself then, before getting into a rant at how much he truly hated Steve right now, he had something else annoying him. "Would you take those damned glasses off? You look like an idiot, it's the middle of the night and you're inside."

"After I explain-"

"I already said I don't want it hear it."

"Well, you're going to!" Steve shouted and Danny stayed silent, crossing his arms as he pointedly looked at Steve, noticing how he squirmed even without being able to see behind the dark lenses.

"Fine," Steve grumbled, lifting a hand to the rim of his black sunglasses and taking them off, revealing that one of his eyes was swollen and red as he blinked into the light.


	5. Day 5: Belief

"I was working on the car," Steve started. 

"I assume you mean the same car that broke down before and prevented us from having dinner?" Danny asked, pointedly.

"Yes, that car," Steve ground his teeth. "I dropped a spanner on my head, I ended up getting some metal in my eye and I couldn't get it out myself so…"

"So… you decided not to let your best friend and partner know anything and just what? Spirited yourself away to a hospital?"

"I thought I'd get out in time for our dinner. I didn't. And I couldn't exactly use my phone while they were working on me," Steve's shoulders rose in defense.

"So you ask a nurse to call! You know my number off by heart, I know you do, it's not like they had to get access to your phone!" Danny could hear his own voice raising a few notches, like it always did when he got mad at Steve.

"I thought I might lose my eye, Danny, I wasn't exactly thinking straight!"

Danny shook his head and pulled his bottom lip into his mouth to chew on. "If I'd been in that kind of situation, the first thing, _the first thing_ I would do is call my family for help. And why the hell were you working on the car when you knew you were going out? You always get distracted by that thing and you know how much tonight meant to me. Then you don't even explain anything in a text, just say sorry and ask me to come over? It would have taken all of two seconds to tell me you got hurt at any time, and you didn't. I just, sometimes, you are unbelievable," Danny's rant faded off at the end as he paced along the back length of the couch. 

Steve frowned. "You act like I did this on purpose to ruin your evening."

"You got that, huh?" Danny asked on a snort.

"I- Danny- Come on, I'm not lying," Steve all but floundered. "It's not like I punched myself in the face as some kind of excuse, everything I'm telling you is the truth. Just like when the car broke down…"

"Or when your meeting with the Governor ran late…"

"Exactly!" Steve caught Danny's words almost excitedly. "I'm not lying, Danny. They all happened as I said they did. Why don't you believe me?"

"I believe you," Danny put his hands on his hips and nodded sadly. "I do, I believe that all that stuff happened. And you can give me timelines and witness testimony and alibi yourself out of it all. Perfect explanations."

"Then what is it? What's the problem?" Steve asked, wary. 

"I'm just not so sure they aren't amazingly convenient excuses for you to not spend time with me."


	6. Day 6: Knife

"You know, I should have seen this coming, I really should have, I mean, I was there, right? When you and Catherine went through this exact, well, more or less, kind of thing. With the not going anywhere fancy and thinking that Rainbow is a great place to take a date."

"It is!" Steve argued. 

"If you're sixteen!" Danny rebuked him, voice getting louder and arms more exaggerated in their movements. "At our age people are more civilized. You don't eat in the car, you eat at a table, with wine and food portions that are all goofily designed and small and there's a guy playing a piano in the background. Not to mention the part where you wear a suit. The thing is Steve, I'm not Catherine."

"That much I'm well aware of." Steve rolled his one good eye and Danny ignored him and continued on.

"I'm not a pushover, okay?" He said and Steve scoffed at him, because Catherine wasn't a pushover, not when it came to important things but in this case, she really had been. "I know she badgered you about this, all of us did. And then once you took her out she was happy. And then it never happened again. Never, not once. And maybe she was fine with it but I'm not. Compromise, Steven. If you're not into the whole big fat date thing then that's fine, but if you're with someone who is then sometimes, you gotta do what they'd like to do."

"Danny, I never said I didn't want to go out with you," Steve seemed confused.

"That's true. You never have. You tell me to make the plans, I do, then I show up at a restaurant at the specified time and you're a no show. _Three times_ , Steven. _**Three.**_ That's a pattern."

"It's a run of bad luck."

"No. No, no, no, don't do that, don't excuse yourself like that. Each time I've had to be the one to hound you for an explanation, you don't think to let me know, you don't think to say sorry before I point out to you that you've messed up. You let me worry and get angry."

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"And now you're doing it again," Danny rubbed his heavy eyes, his anger was sitting low in his belly and he didn't have the strength right now to pull it up. He was simply getting to the point of resignation because of how tired he was. "Look, I don't care. I'm sorry you got hurt, that looks really bad. And I want to see what I can do to help, I really do, but it's after four in the morning, I gotta get up early and I'm tired, okay?"

"Okay," Steve said, shoulders sagging and he looked down at his wet self, neither of them having paid too much attention to how he'd been dripping on the floor. 

Danny wrinkled his nose as he looked down at the slowly forming puddle of water. "Look, I know you can't exactly go home right now, so just go take a shower and warm up, stick those clothes in the dryer. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

This time, as Danny walked by, Steve didn't stop him.

He curled up in bed, pulling the covers up tight, listening to the sound of the water running in the bathroom and the small sounds of Steve moving around the house. He half expected Steve to join him in the bed regardless, but despite the sliver of light that hit his body through the opening of the bedroom door, it closed again without Steve coming into the room. 

The couch. He was taking the couch. 

Danny sniffed. It wasn't like he'd been very welcoming to Steve so it wasn't so unexpected, but a part of him had hoped that Steve would come in, slide under the covers and hug around him like he seemed to enjoy and they'd still get some semblance of their 'new normal' and not just be left with the fight hanging over their heads. 

Finally, he drifted off and when his alarm sounded in the morning, he felt like he had a hangover, despite having very little to drink the night before. His head wasn't pounding, but it had a heaviness, a weight that seemed to be pushing down on his insides and it made him feel terrible. 

He padded out to the kitchen, hoping that coffee would start to make him feel like a normal human again. He glanced at the couch to see the blanket folded neatly, though not in its usual place. So Steve had stayed but had left early, probably to walk the ten miles back to his house now that it wasn't raining and was brighter out.

He walked into the kitchen and stopped short. 

The pin board that he and Gracie used to leave notes for each other had a steak knife sticking out of it that he'd almost run into. Normal people used pins, but Steve seemed determined to make sure Danny noticed the note he'd left for him.

He stared at Steve's scrawled note, all in thick sharpie, looking almost threatening with the knife sticking out the middle: _**I will prove myself to you.**_


	7. Day 6: Argument

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SERIOUSLY?! The day after I finish their arguing the prompt word is ARGUMENT?! Sometimes, I swear, urgh.

When Danny got in his car he was half-tempted to drive to work and just see Steve when he got there, but then he remembered that Steve couldn't drive with his eye all banged up. He'd already walked ten miles to Danny's place and then all the way back again and if it meant not having to pay a couple of bucks for a taxi, he'd do it to get to work. Which was stupid. 

Besides, it meant that Danny would get to drive his own car while Steve was in it and that was a win no matter how pissed off he was.

He pulled up at Steve's place and honked the horn briefly, letting Steve know he was there. He got out and went to the door. It was open; Danny didn't have to bother with his key or turning off the alarm. He shook his head. Typical. The guy needed to learn about how locks worked. 

"Steve, you here?" he yelled at the bottom of the stairs. 

In response, Steve bounded across the landing and started down the stairs. He seemed confident despite his impaired sight and Danny moved out of the way to let Steve down. The man was in his cargoes, but was still topless and Danny refused to let that distract him. 

Danny followed Steve into the kitchen to see the other man finishing the last of his protein shake or whatever that green goop was that he took every morning. 

"Hey, come here," Danny said as Steve finished, beckoning the man over and wincing in sympathy as he saw Steve's eye in the light. It looked worse than the night before. It had swollen up and was beginning to show bruising. The eye itself was still looking bloodshot. He reached up to hold Steve's face steady as he examined it closer, deciding that whatever piece of metal had got in there, must have been quite big and stuck in enough that washing his eye, hadn't been enough and Steve had needed to go to the hospital. For a brief moment he felt guilty for shouting at him so much about not making it to dinner. Maybe he'd been overreacting and it had all been accidents. 

Mind you, his point still stood - Steve seemed to hate the idea of 'dating', no matter who he did it with. And he really had no concept of compromise. It made Danny feel like all Steve wanted from him was no-strings sex along with their good working relationship and friendship. Just an add-on, not an escalation.

"Gotta say, this does look pretty bad. The doctor said you'd be okay though, right?" He asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Yeah, he said it should get better in a couple of days, the bruising in about a week. But I know that a kiss would make it heal faster," Steve said, teasing in his voice but trepidation along with it.

"Really? I don't think that was prescribed by the doctor," Danny said back.

"It's still scientifically proven to work. I'll go online and get you some research papers to look at if you don't believe me," he sidled closer, hands bracketing Danny's hips.

"Uh-huh. All written by hacks," Danny replied, but he got onto his toes and pulled Steve's head closer to lay a soft kiss at the side of his eye, and then another one on Steve's eyelid when he closed it. 

"Hmmmm," Steve hummed happily as Danny pulled back, hands still cupping Steve's face. The hands holding his hips moved up his sides and around his back, keeping him close. Danny could feel the warmth of Steve's chest through the thin material of his own shirt as they pressed tightly together. Steve smiled down at Danny. "I feel better already."

Danny didn't miss the double meaning in the statement, of Steve feeling physically better as well as thinking that the two of them were on better terms now if Danny was doing this, but he ignored it, pushed the rumble in his stomach aside and smiled. "I have healing powers."

"You really do," Steve nodded, his nose brushing Danny's as he did so. "I think I need more."

He leaned in and captured Danny's lips, stopping him from saying anything. Danny felt his head pushing back with the strength Steve used on him, tongue invading his mouth but being so gentle as he entwined their tongues. Danny wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but when he was running out of breath he forced his head back. 

"Wait, wait, I'm still mad at you," he breathed out but didn't pull away. 

"Please, Danny," Steve dropped his head to Danny's shoulder. "Let's not start arguing again."

"And push everything aside? Forget about it?" Danny could feel his anger rising along with the power behind his voice. "That's not so easy for me," he pushed Steve back, and he stumbled, surprised to no longer feel Danny in his arms.

"Danny, come on-"

"No, I mean it," Danny said. "You know what I'm like about things and all I can think about right now is how I'm scared that this could be it for us. Game over."

"It's not," Steve replied adamantly after a few moments of empty silence. His confidence sailed through and Danny wished he could have that same feeling. "It's not Game over. We may have failed a level a couple of times, but we're going to work it out and move onto the next one. I promise you."

"What makes you so sure, huh?" Danny put his hands on his hips as he looked at Steve.

"Because I love you," he said, so fiercely it made Danny's eyes widen, his head crane forward and his heart to take to pounding like he'd run a marathon.


	8. Day 8: Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh for heaven's sake... it's Hawaii... freaking 'winter'?!

"I'm not even sure I know what that means anymore."

"It means I love you."

"Like a friend, like a family member, like-"

"Like nothing else matters," Steve said, interrupting him, a note of finality in his voice, like that were enough, everything explained in those few words and they were. Danny's heart dropped like a stone into his stomach. He could almost forget what they'd been arguing about.

"Steve-" Danny breathed out, unable to form anything else. 

Steve took Danny's shock and used the momentum of the moment to step forward to him again. "And I know you love me, too, and not just because you say it all the time. I know Grace has top priority and that's why I held back for so long on making a move. But I also know that I rank incredibly high on that very short list. You flew to Afghanistan for me. And North Korea. You came to Cambodia… not many people would do that for someone who was just a friend."

Danny swallowed. "Then why the reluctance to go out with me on a date? An actual date not just meeting up for beers or shave ice or something."

Steve's hands came to rest on Danny's hips again as he shifted his weight uncomfortably. His fingers gripped into Danny's waistband and yet he couldn't quite meet Danny's eyes. "Idon'tknowhow," he mumbled quickly. 

"I'm sorry, what? You don't… you don't know how? What does that even mean?"

"It means I've never dated. Okay?" Steve finally looked at him, heckles raised as he explained himself. "My mom 'died' when I was fifteen, I got packed up and sent away. I spent my senior year at a new school and my only priority was survival. I didn't even go to prom or anything. I went straight into the Naval Academy after that and put all my effort into my career. Anyone I was with since then," he shrugged. "We never called it dating, it was just hook ups, really."

Danny took a breath of realization. It made sense, of course. And Catherine was a prime example of how Steve had lived his life and sexual encounters throughout it. She likely wasn't the only one, just the most recent and most… prolific? "So, what, you were nervous? Why didn't you just say something?!"

"I was embarrassed! I'm in my mid-thirties and I've never been on a proper date in my life. Well, that one time with Catherine and even then, it wasn't that big a deal. I actually only took her to a secluded picnic spot, she was just in her shorts while I felt stupid in the tux. We were completely alone, halfway through I took off most of what I was wearing and we ended up just… hanging out."

"Look, I get that this is new to you, a lot of it is new to me, too. I've never been with a guy before, not like this, so we're both just fumbling our way through. And first dates are supposed to be awful, but it helps if both parties actually show up," he said, pointedly.

"Your first date was awful?" Steve asked, a hint of a smile on his face as he started to feel better about himself. 

"It was the middle of winter in New Jersey so everything's frozen over, right? I decided to take her ice skating since that's what everyone else was doing. Ended up elbowing her in the face and breaking her nose. Needless to say, we never had a second date and it was months before I felt up to asking anyone else out. I was a nervous wreck."

Steve stuck his bottom lip out, contemplating. "I'd go out with you again if you broke my nose."

Danny squinted at Steve. "It's still a very real possibility that it'll happen, because as much as I'm not yelling right now, I still haven't forgiven you. I'm not even sure I _**want**_ to date you anymore. I don't want to spend any more long hours in restaurants waiting on you to show up only to wind up disappointed yet again."

"I meant what I said," Steve answered, the smile disappearing and the confident, dark, determined look returned as he wrapped his arms back around Danny. "I'm going to make all this up to you."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Danny said, and then deflected his head as Steve tried to swoop in for a kiss. "And until then, you're still in the doghouse, buddy."


	9. Day 9: Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SERIOUSLY?! AGAIN?! I just did a whole chapter about 'love' and then today's word is freaking 'love'?? I'm not buying the whole 'queued up' excuse, Stellar, I'm watching you. -_-

Steve finally put a shirt on, pouting the whole time about not getting to kiss Danny, or do much of anything until he'd made things up to him, and they'd headed to work. 

Danny got to drive, and he made the most of it, taking his time since they were running early as it was, and he took a few detours until finally pulling up at the Palace. He looked over at Steve with a beaming smile on his face and was met by a moody scowl in return. 

"Don't get used to it," Steve warned as he got out of the car. Danny could only chuckle as he followed. 

"Ouch!" Kono exclaimed when she caught a look at Steve's eye. "Was the date that terrible that he deserved to be punched so hard?"

"Actually yes, but that," Danny pointed to Steve's really bad looking eye and winced. "That was not my handiwork. He did it to himself. And if I wasn't so mad at him, I'd laugh, because this guy is a Navy SEAL."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Steve's shoulders rose as he defended himself. "Accidents happen to everyone, including SEALs."

"He dropped a spanner on his head," Danny clapped Kono on the shoulder and moved past to go into his office, leaving Steve to explain himself fully. He kept an eye on the conversation - even though all he could hear were muffled sounds and his vision was impaired by the angle of the blinds in his windows - while he went about getting organized with his 'to do' list for the day. Which would probably include half of Steve's stuff now, too, if the guy couldn't see what he was supposed to be doing. Chin had joined the group and was marveling at Steve's eye as well and odd glances were sent in Danny's direction. 

Steve had better be remembering that he was the bad guy in this. If he started telling Chin and Kono about how he'd walked a 20 mile round trip to Danny's place, in the rain, with only partial eye sight, like it was some kind of romantic comedy hero ending, then there'd be hell to pay. 

When he saw Kono go in for the high-five, he was beginning to wonder. But he let it slide for now, assuming he'd find out from someone later. Cops loved gossip and five-0 weren't any different. 

Chin clapped Steve's shoulder, nodded and then headed to Danny's office, poking his head in the door. "Hey, Danny. We got a tip on the Sanderson case. Since Steve isn't going to be much help today, it's on you and me to go talk to the witness."

"Sure, just let me finish this email and I'll be right with you," Danny answered. A few minutes later he holstered his gun and headed into the bullpen. 

"Hey," he came up behind Steve, and the other man turned to him. "I've just sent you an email, hopefully you can actually read it," he gestured to his eye. "It's important, so actually do something about it."

"Yeah, sure thing," Steve nodded, then wrapped an arm around Danny and pulled him in close, kissing him before Danny could do anything about it, unexpected as it was. They'd never done anything remotely sexual in the office, barely even a flirtatious wink, determined to keep work and private life separate, not to mention feeling that it wasn't fair on their co-workers to witness it. 

"Whoa," Danny pulled back, a hand on Steve's chest, braced against his weight and his pull. "What was that?" he asked, half annoyed but mostly just flustered. 

"Just wanted to prove that I don't have a problem being seen with you in public."

"Okay, that's all very well, but this isn't public. This is work. These are our friends and co-workers who don't need to see us making out. Second, you need to do a lot more than that to make it up to me and third, I already told you. Doghouse, Steven. You get nothing until I'm satisfied over your contrition."

"Go talk to the witness," Steve said, patting Danny's ass surreptitiously to get him going and Danny wasn't sure if Steve was heeding the words or not. He just frowned and moved away, a slight flush to his cheeks at Chin's knowing smirk and Kono's barely contained laughter. Just before Danny reached the door, Steve's voice boomed out over the whole office. "I love you."

"Uh-huh," Danny answered flippantly as the door shut behind them.


	10. Day 10: Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *glares at Stellar* okay.... better.... still watching though. always. watching. \/ /\ \/

The trip out was a bust. Well, not entirely. Their witness was credible, their information was good, but it really didn't add to what they already had, merely corroborated it. It certainly wasn't the leap forward in the case they'd been hoping for. 

As they drove back to the office (In Chin's car, because as much as Danny was enjoying getting to drive while Steve was hurt, it wasn't as much fun without Steve there. That, and Danny would enjoy not having to pay for the gas for this trip to the North Shore and back) Chin kept glancing looks at Danny.

"You know, I can tell you want to ask me something, so you might as well go ahead and ask," Danny turned his head to him. 

"You don't think you're being a little hard on him?"

"No. No, I do not."

"Wow, you barely waited for me to finish before getting that out."

"That's because I knew exactly what you were going to ask," Danny tilted his head. 

"Gotta say, Danny, he's trying his best and he did struggle to get to you last night to explain things. And that eye of his is pretty convincing."

"Yes, it is. And under normal circumstances I would be taking care of him, and making sure he's okay. But as much as the whole thing was an accident, that does not excuse him for going looking for a chance to get out of his obligations."

"Obligations? You make it sound like dating you is a job. A chore, even."

"Maybe it is!?" Danny's voice rose. "We made plans, we had an agreement, a verbal contract, if you will. He was supposed to show up at the appointed time, he did not. _**Three times**_ , he wasn't there. He needs to learn that actions have consequences."

"They do but," Chin hedged, trying to find some footing in the middle of the two arguments. "This was a couple of dates. Not World War Three."

"Same thing," Danny said and continued at Chin's disbelieving look. "It's exactly the same thing. Right now, he thinks little things don't matter. He' a Navy SEAL, he's used to the World War Three scenarios and anything else to him?" He mimed brushing things aside. "Little things in relationships are important. If they get ignored they fester and build and the next thing you know, you're divorced and moving to tropical hellholes just to spend a little bit of time with your daughter - and that's just what measly amount of time you have around custody arrangements and your job."

"Steve isn't Rachel," Chin said quietly, understanding in his voice. 

"I know," Danny picked at the material of his pants and stared straight ahead. 

They walked back into HQ together, shaking their heads at Kono and Lou who were at the table-top computer. Chin stayed to fill them in properly while Danny pushed open the door of his office and stopped in his tracks at the sight of what was sitting on his desk. 

It was a massive, flat box with a bow on top. It wasn't wrapped so he knew exactly what was in the box and he knew who it was from.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing confusedly at the item. 

A shout from across the way answered. "Chocolate. I thought it was obvious."

"It is, it's very obvious," he turned to see Steve walked over. 

"Then why ask what it is?"

"Okay, we have established that there is a very large box of chocolates on my desk. The question, is why?" He widened his arms.

"They're a part of my plan to make it up to you," Steve crossed his arms and kept his face serious but there was a hint of a smile and a playfulness in his eyes. 

"You have a plan now?"

"I'm working on it," Steve admitted. "I'm following the instructions in your email."

Danny took a second to remember what he'd written. "No," he said. "I said that this would take _more_ than chocolates and teddy bears to make it up to me."

"Exactly. So I got you chocolates and just so you know… there's still more to come."

"Okay, listen," Danny adjusted his stance, his email was supposed to be taken sarcastically, as that's how he got when he was angry and he wished to point out that he wasn't a teenage girl and that Steve had to put effort into this the _right_ way. "If you read that email properly then you know it's not about material things, or about you and I finally getting around to the plans we'd had before. It's bigger than that now. It's not about what you do to make it up. It's about how _convincing_ you are in your commitment."

"I know, Danny. And I wasn't playing around when I left you that note this morning. I know what it's going to take, and I _**will**_ prove myself to you."

"Speaking of notes, seriously, Steven, we need to talk about your inappropriate use of knives."


	11. Day 11: Clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for falling behind. Hopefully I'll catch up over the weekend. Work got busy!

Danny sat behind his desk, catching up on paperwork and trying to fill out more of the witnesses information on the Sanderson case.

When his phone rang, he picked up quickly; anything for the break in the monotony. "Detective Williams," he said.

"Hi Mr. Williams. It's Nahele. I was trying to get Commander McGarrett but his phone went to voicemail," Danny looked over to Steve's office and sure enough, the man wasn't in there. He frowned.

"Did you try his cell?" he asked. 

"No, but I'm calling from Kamekona's and he said the landlines are cheaper than the cell ones so I was to try these first."

"I see," Danny answered, understanding the poor guy having to deal with Kamekona's thrifty ways. "What can I do for you? You need me to pass on a message to him?"

"Yeah, I took both your suits in to the dry cleaners like he asked and they'll be ready by five. Since the Commander asked for a rush job it'll cost more but they said they'd do it. I can pick them up later and bring them by. They said they'd add it to a tab."

Of course they would. And that would be Danny's tab because Steve didn't get dry cleaning done often and had piggybacked onto Danny's place. But wait. "Suits? Steve asked you to dry clean suits for him? And when did he do that? He's been here all-" he stopped himself from continuing. Danny and Chin had been away for over two hours, so Steve had been up to something while they'd been out and it wasn't work - certainly if the chocolates now sitting on the sofa had anything to do with it.

"Officer Kalakaua drove him home to get them. They met me outside your offices and the Commander asked me to do this stuff for him. I told him before I'll do whatever he needs me to do. It's the least I can do after… everything." Danny rubbed his face. Nahele was a good kid. Steve was certainly doing right by him, though he hoped Steve didn't take too much advantage of him being so helpful and willing.

"Okay, thanks for your help, Nahele. I'll let Steve know. Just remember you don't always have to do stuff for him."

"I know, but I like it," the young man answered and Danny shook his head on a smile. "See you later, Detective."

Danny hung up the phone. Suits? As in tuxes or the blue one Steve favored? Danny could only assume it had something to do with Steve's plan to make things up to Danny as fancy nights out usually required suits. And Danny's had got pretty wet last night, which would mean he'd needed to get it cleaned and maybe that was the one Steve had Nahele take in for him. Which was thoughtful, even if Danny was still going to end up paying for it all.

He got up from his desk and wandered into the main area and spotted Lou. "Hey," he caught the man's attention. "You seen Steve?"

"Think he went to the bathroom or something."

"Okay," Danny replied and headed out, trying to track his errant partner down...


	12. Day 12: Holiday

Danny found Steve in the bathroom, head close to the mirror, eye drops clutched in one hand as he inspected his face and whether it was healing well. 

Danny leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as he watched. "So you were busy while Chin and I were away, huh?" he asked, hoping Steve would catch on that Danny knew more.

Steve shrugged. "Got a head start on some things. I'm pretty useless right now. My depth perception is all off. Should be a lot better by tomorrow though."

Danny nodded. "Anything else you wanna give me a heads up about? You started with chocolates, is there a teddy bear hidden around the place? Flowers? Other cliches?"

Steve smiled as he turned to Danny. "There might be a few more out there, sure." He sidled closer to Danny and put his arms around his waist, swaying them slightly. 

"You do know this isn't Valentine's Day, right? That's still a month away. And I'm not really a flowers kind of guy," Danny smirked out of the corner of his mouth. 

"There's no way I'm planning a Valentine's day thing. Because if you do something amazing, then the next year you've got to top it. And the year after that, and the year after that and so on and there's a limit, Danno. Valentine's is just going to be you and me hanging out, so long as there's not a case we're caught up in," he added at the end. 

"Sure," Danny nodded. "Year… after year… after year…" he trailed off, eyes wide as he gauged Steve's response, hopeful. 

"After year," Steve nodded, eyes shining as he looked at Danny with promise. It made Danny's heart flutter like a teenager in the first blush of love and it was embarrassing to know his could still do that after he'd become such a cynic in life but it just did. And he kind of wanted to keep feeling it.

After a few moments of silence, Danny patted Steve's arms and cleared his throat, pushing away a little so as not to keep caught up in the moment. "So the suits are at the dry cleaners, huh?"

"How did you-?"

"I'm a detective, babe. And I'm good," Danny cut him off, tilting his head and Steve just frowned at him. 

"Well, stop it. Or you might ruin all my surprise plans," he pouted. 

"I wouldn't dream of it," Danny held his hands up as he backed over to the door. "I just hope whatever you're planning is good, because I'm not paying for dry cleaning just for it to all be ruined again."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'll pay you back for the dry cleaning bill."

"It's okay," Danny waved off. "Just don't fuck this up and I'll let you away with it this time."


	13. Day 13: Alien

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, I worked for a certain company before (and would again in a heartbeat), and I think I gave myself away a bit with this chapter, but with a prompt like 'alien' and considering this is Hawaii and I still had to do the teddy bear thing, it all kinda came together!

Danny was hard at work and actually concentrating on it, ignoring the scuffle of movement outside his office walls when there was a knock on his door. 

He looked up to see a guy with short black hair and glasses and wearing khakis and a loose-fit, light colored aloha shirt. He was clearly wearing an oval name badge as well, though Danny couldn't quite make it out due to the giant blue stuffed toy he was carrying. 

"Come in," Danny motioned to him, confusedly, but figuring instantly that this was another of Steve's grand gestures. "Can I help you?"

"Detective Williams? My name is Ernie, I'm one of the merchandise managers at Aulani. Commander McGarrett called earlier asking if we could deliver this to you," he said, holding up the three foot toy. "He said you have a daughter who's fond of this little guy," he petted the thing on the head as he placed it in one of the chairs opposite Danny's desk. 

"He asked you to deliver a Stitch toy to me?" Danny asked, getting everything straight in his head. "And you actually did it?"

"Well," Ernie looked a little sheepish and blushed a little. "It's not normal, but at Disney we do like to go above and beyond and with the Commander's service and his current injury not allowing him to drive over himself, it's the least we could do to brighten up both of your days. And your daughter's," he added at the end. He then reached into his pocket. "The Commander only asked for Stitch, but," he handed over an envelope to Danny. "We'd like to invite you both to have dinner at 'Ama'Ama. On us."

Danny's eyes widened. This couldn't be Steve's surprise as Ernie had just said Steve hadn't asked for it. But it made him wonder if Ernie knew about anything that had been going on, and if so how? Beyond Steve giving them some kind of sob story version so that they'd make this delivery to finish, as Danny expected, his statement of needing more than chocolates and teddy bears that Steve had taken literally. "This is… amazing. Thank you, very much. Are you sure?"

"It's the least we can do, considering what Five-0 does for the island," Ernie shook Danny's hand with a wide smile, like he'd enjoyed the look of surprise on Danny's face at the gift. "Please stop by Hale Manu when you're at the Resort and say hi."

Danny watched the man leave and turned to look down at his new giant Stitch toy. Grace would love it, she loved that movie he was in and there was no doubt in Danny's mind that this toy would take pride of place in her room, especially once she found out it was from Steve. Somehow, while Steve had been having fun with Danny's threats, he'd also managed to double it up with endearing himself to both Danny and Grace.

And how did he get Aulani in on this? What did he tell them?

That was the only thing that worried Danny. He was well aware of Disney's reputation and he knew that if they did something big it was like a reward. And that means Steve had talked to them about something that they thought was worth one. And Danny wasn't sure he liked the idea of his private life being talked about with strangers. Which meant he may have to have another chat with Steve about things that were appropriate…


	14. Day 14: Foreign

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for falling behind but... vacation. I have access and will try not to fall too far behind but I have vacation fun to have! Disney vaca fun. I came to my second home for a while, hence the previous chapter cos it's on the brain!  
> p.s. Steve will explain what he said to Disney in the next chapter. I get to cheat since I'm falling behind and it fits that day's prompt better!

Steve walked back into headquarters - from wherever he'd been - with his phone glued to his ear. 

Danny watched from his desk, mindlessly chewing on the end of his pen as Steve briefly chatted with Lou while keeping his phone against his head and then heading towards Danny, an eyebrow raise of hello as he pushed the door open and continued talking into his phone.

It sounded like gibberish to Danny. He'd barely ever come to grips with the Hawaiian language, though mainly out of his desire to purposely stay away from becoming… kama'aina. He knew a few words, the basics, but nothing much beyond aloha, mahalo and haole. That he'd admit to, anyway. He could tell a lot of the words apart now but didn't care to translate them in his head. Grace was doing well in local knowledge but Danny continued to shy away from it. 

Steve continue talking with the mysterious person on the other end of the line as he sat comfortably on the sofa opposite Danny's desk. As Danny raised his hands in a frustrated 'really?' gesture, Steve just rolled his eyes and fobbed him off until he finished his call.

"I see you got him," Steve looked pleased with himself as he pointed to the Stitch toy now sitting on the floor in the corner.

"Yeah, Disney guy came by with him so yes, now you've done the chocolates and teddy bear." He decided not to tell Steve about the gift they'd been given, waiting to find out if Steve deserved to be treated to such a nice night out until after all this stuff was sorted between them.

"And now it just leaves the 'more' bit. Which I think I have just finished organising."

"Oh, so all the code you were spouting into your phone was for my benefit, so I wouldn't find out?"

"No, it's because they prefer to speak in Hawaiian. We're in Hawaii. It's polite."

"Ah, of course, you are very fond of politeness, mostly in the form of how your version of being polite annoys the hell out of me," he said and then continued before Steve could rebuff him. "So is there a time and place for this thing you've organized?" he asked as he shuffled paper around, trying not to show how nervous he actually was and bracing himself already for some kind of disappointment - purposely keeping his hopes low after all the disasters they'd had so far.

"There is. The place is a surprise but the time I can tell you. Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Well, I know you don't have Grace for the next few days. And I'm going to get this embargo on touching you over with as soon as possible."

"So you're doing all this so you can have sex again?" Danny asked, knowing he was being obtuse but actually a little put out that Steve could belittle this thing to sex. Unless Danny was right and this whole relationship and compromise wasn't being understood by Steve like he thought. Hell, his relationship with Cath had always been mutual favors and sex, maybe Steve thought that was what a real relationship was?

"I'm doing this because I love you, and I want you to have the date you've been promised. And to know that I mean what I say when I tell you I'm going to make things right."

"The Steve McGarrett way. Going above and beyond. Just remember I don't like helicopters or fruity local drinks."

"Duly noted," Steve nodded seriously. "No helicopters."

"Or fruity local cocktails."

"Or those."


	15. Day 15: Film

Steve rubbed at his eye, his frustration at his lack of clear sight was palpable.

"Don't do that, you'll make it worse," Danny warned him, and like he was being chastised by his mother, Steve dropped his hand. "Are you sure about tomorrow night? Because if you're eye is still bad, then our other stuff can wait."

"No, it can't. Besides, it'll be fine by then," Steve irritatedly dabbed at the puffiness around his eye.

"You know you can't just _**will**_ the healing process to go faster, right?"

"It'll be fine," Steve reiterated sternly and Danny backed off from that conversation and brought it back to the toy taking up room in his office.

"So, Disney? How'd you get 'em to go all out for you? Delivery and everything. Even I know they don't make house calls."

Steve gave him a curious look, knowing Danny was angling at something but just not sure what. He shrugged. "I asked for a big Stitch. I told them I was injured and couldn't go get it. I offered to pay for the delivery and they said they didn't do it but I persuaded them."

"You… _persuaded_ them," Danny repeated, getting it right. 

"I may have mentioned the Governor. Maybe the Navy."

"But you didn't- I mean," Danny started but then decided not to continue. He didn't want it to sound like he'd thought Steve had been airing their dirty laundry, even though it was what he'd expected might have happened. But mentioning the Governor always tended to do the trick. He was surprised his thoughts hadn't gone down that route already - Steve had done it often enough, including on Danny when they met. "Never mind. Grace will love him, thank you. I didn't even know you knew who they hell Stitch was."

"Everyone in Hawaii knows who Stitch is, come on," Steve shuffled on the sofa, not quite meeting Danny's eyes. 

"Did Grace make you watch it with her? I'll tell her not to badger her Uncle Steve like that if you want."

"No, don't. She's never done anything like that."

"But you've seen the movie? Voluntarily?" 

Steve sighed. "If you must know, I saw it at the movie theater when it came out years ago. A couple of the guys and I-"

"Wait," Danny interrupted. "You went to see a Disney movie as a unit?!"

"No, just some of us. We were on leave in New Orleans and we could either go get drunk off our asses up Bourbon Street or go to the movies. We decided on the movie. _Then_ we got drunk."

Danny's head shook slightly in awe as he imagined the scene. "So, a bunch of SEALs in a theater, watching a Disney film…"

"It was before I was SEAL. In fact I hadn't been in the Navy very long at that point, it was during one of my first assignments."

"Still, I mean, sometimes I learn things about you that don't fit into the regular slots and I just gotta take a moment and digest."

"Well, you finish your moment then get your ass in gear. It's time to head home."

"It's not even five yet," Danny noted, checking the clock on his desk. 

"I'm calling it early since there's not much I can do right now and I need my temporary chauffeur."

"Yes, sir, Commander, sir," Danny mock saluted, winding Steve up on a few fronts, since he kind of hated seeing Danny do the salute wrong on purpose yet at the same time, was always turned on when Danny called him 'sir' and 'Commander'.

Steve pointed at him. "Unless you want me to forcibly remove the embargo on touching you, you better knock that off."

Danny just grinned.


	16. Day 16: Actor

Danny was enjoying driving and he was making a point of doing everything as 'properly' as he could. To show Steve how it was done. To prove that he was better. He felt quite smug, ignoring the slight huff of annoyance from the passenger seat. 

"So I was thinking," Steve broke the silence. "You want to watch a movie tonight after dinner? I'll let you pick. Maybe something with that actor you like."

"What actor I like?" Danny asked, glancing back and forth between Steve and out the windscreen. "What like… Pacino? De Niro? Something like that?"

"No, the tall Australian guy. The good looking one."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Steve turned more towards Danny. "Remember when we watched that movie with Grace. The stupid romantic one with the time travel that didn't make sense."

"Wait, you mean, Hugh Jackman? You describe Hugh Jackman to me without just saying 'Wolverine'? You're an idiot."

"Whatever, But you like him and I figured maybe we watch a movie with him in it. Just a suggestion."

"I don't like him," Danny clutched his hands around the steering wheel, perfectly aware that his face was starting to heat up.

"Yes. You do. You're so obvious with it."

"I'm obvious? How am I obvious?"

"You could barely take your eyes off the screen when he was on. And you kept shushing me and usually you play along with me when we talk over movies. But I guess you couldn't resist a tall, dark-haired, muscular guy..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Danny finished, clearing his throat.

"Lift the embargo and I'll be Wolverine for you tonight in bed."

"I-" Danny braked harder than he meant to as he approached a red light. He looked over at Steve, mouth open. "I… don't even know how to respond to that."

"Maybe just think about it. Let it sink in. I'd make a good Wolverine," Steve mused, smug smile on his face and Danny just sat wondering how the tables had turned and Steve was the one sitting there pleased with himself. 

When the light turned green, he shuffled in his seat, ignored the heat pooling low in his body and hit the accelerator. "Shut up."


	17. Day 17: Key

He debated leaving and going to his own home, but he couldn't leave Steve to fumble around the house with one working eye and one half-working one, so he got out and followed Steve to his doorstep.

He stood for a moment before realizing that Steve was just looking at him. "What?" he asked. 

"I can barely see the lock, I thought you could open it."

"I don't have a key."

"Yes, you do."

"At home, sure. That's where spare keys live," Danny answered again.

Steve dipped into his pocket and brought out his small keychain that held only a few keys, one of which was clearly Danny's front door key - he'd recognize his own key. "I've got yours right here," he said, waving it around before handing the set to Danny to open the front door.

"Okay, you're an idiot. What if you lost this lot, huh? Took a dive into the ocean after a perp and lost them? Or some criminal gets us and makes us hand over everything from our pockets? If that happens, you're screwed. _**We're**_ screwed. That is why the key for your house stays locked inside my house where it is safe for when it's needed."

As they walked in, Steve just narrowed his eyes, confusedly. "Wait, if we've had all our keys lost or stolen, then we wouldn't be able to get into your house to get my spare key. It's pointless."

Danny considered the logic then admitted to himself that Steve had a point. "Okay, but if I loose my key and you don't…. wait-" he cut himself off because if Steve still had his key then he'd also still have Danny's and his point is moot again. Damnit. "Fine, but I prefer to keep it safe and you have your key on you anyway so I don't need it."

Danny locked the door behind them, turned off the alarm and put the keys where Steve liked to keep them then faced the other man again. 

"You staying?" Steve asked. 

"Yeah, you need a handler, I guess."

"All night?" he asked hedging.

Danny rolled his eyes and gave in quickly. He always did when faced with Steve. "Yes, fine."

"Good," Steve hooked a finger in the front of Danny's pants and pulled him closer. 

"What did I say?" Danny warned him, keeping his own hands back and away from Steve who just pouted in response and let out a small whimper of frustration. But he didn't let go and the hand skirted around his waist instead, keeping him closer.

"You suck," he said.

"I do. Very well. But you don't get to experience that. Not tonight."

"How am I supposed to lie in bed with you tonight and not touch you?" Steve almost growled in annoyance.

"We'll figure something out," Danny patted Steve's arm and pulled away. "I hope you have something in for dinner. Also, you tivo'd the Jets game, right?"

"Yeah, it's waiting for us. I saw the score already though," Steve followed Danny into the kitchen. "And unless you kiss me, I'll tell you who won."

"You are a cruel man," Danny pulled his head back out of the fridge and turned to Steve who sidled in close to him, the fridge door closing behind Danny until he was pressed up against it. 

"Opportunistic," Steve smiled against him as he leaned down for his kiss, one that quickly turned heated and a little dirty. When Steve's hands skirted lower, heading for the button on Danny's pants, he pushed him away, but not before he reached round to the side of the fridge where he knew what was sitting on the counter there. 

"Tell me the score and I'll castrate you," he said and nodded in indication down towards Steve's groin. 

Steve's eyes followed and saw the bread knife Danny had grabbed form the block by the side of the fridge. "And you said _**I**_ used knives inappropriately."

Danny shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I'm a quick learner."


	18. Day 18: Picture

Danny had made a point of taking up his own separate space when they went to bed, but somewhere in the night he'd become entangled with Steve and woke to find himself encompassed in the man's arms and with what felt like a morning hard-on poking against his thigh.

"Morning," Steve nuzzled against the back of Danny's neck, wet kisses landing in a trail to his shoulder. 

"Hey," Danny got out before clearing his throat of morning fuzz. He looked down to see where Steve's hand roamed over his abdomen, squeezing against his hip and he felt as Steve rocked against him. "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the morning," Steve answered, getting up onto an elbow and gaining height over Danny, tugging on him to roll onto his back so Steve could get on top. For some reason Danny allowed it, though he put it down to his brain not being online yet and he was responding to the mouth on top of his own before he realized. 

"Whoa. Wait," Danny pushed up, both hands flat on Steve's chest as he struggled to get to a sitting position and leaned up on the headboard, Steve practically on hands and knees over him, looking confused and frustrated and wanting.

"What?" he asked, reaching for Danny again.

"We discussed this. You're on a timeout remember."

Steve motioned down his body to where his hard dick was and then back to Danny. "What about this?"

"Your problem," he responded, aware that his own was showing signs of life. "Go jerk off in the ocean or something."

Steve groaned audibly as he sat back on his haunches, shoulders drooping. "All this is gathering interest, just so you know. I'm going to fuck you so hard later."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny waved off, downplaying it and hiding his own reaction; looking forward to what Steve might deliver on later when everything worked out. It better work out. He had too much invested in all of this for Steve to fuck everything up for them.

Steve bounded to his feet, dick in hand and headed into the bathroom. A moment later the shower started and Danny laid back and imagined Steve in there, jerking off to the thought of being inside Danny and he smiled at the image before shaking himself out of it, not wanting to get himself excited enough to need to do the same thing.

He moved to the dresser where Steve had given him some space and began looking out clothes for the day when he noticed that the picture frames on top had been moved around. Wait, not just moved around, but changed. There was a new one he hadn't noticed before. How long had it been there?

"Hey, Steve?" he yelled, hoping Steve could hear above the noise of the water. When he got no response he picked up the frame and wandered into the bathroom. "Babe?"

"Yeah, just a- fuck," Steve said back, voice tight. Danny could make out the silhouette of Steve behind the frosted glass and noticed how fast his hand was moving low over his body. He moved closer, a sly grin on his face and he pressed his empty hand against the glass from his side.

"Yeah, babe, get it all out for me," he teased through the glass. 

"Fuck, Danny, you fuck," Steve said back, sounding close.

"Come for me, babe, come all over the wall, just like you come all over my face when I suck you off."

"You, shit," Steve responded, getting off on the image and Danny barely held in his laugh. "Fuck Danny, uh. Uh.." he said, stuttering as he came.

"How was it, babe?" he asked a moment later, unable to keep the grin out of his comment.

The shower door was opened enough for Steve to poke his hand out to somewhere about Danny's shoulder level.

"See for yourself," he said and Danny laughed at the sight of cum all over Steve's hand. He reached for his wrist, holding him steady as he licked right up Steve's palm and over his middle finger. 

"Tastes good," he taunted as he let go, Steve closing the door again behind him, and Danny decided to keep hold of the upper hand with some more comments. "Would have tasted better if your dick had been in my mouth the whole time, but then, you only have yourself to blame for that, don't you."

Steve whacked a hand against the wall in irritation at Danny's words, and let out another groan. He was doing that a lot lately. "Did you just come in here to torment me or what?"

"Or what, actually," Danny said, looking down at his other hand and the picture in the frame. "When did you get this photo of us framed and put up?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Steve asked over the roar of the water as he ducked his head under and washed out shampoo.

"The one of us at the reception after your Aunt's wedding. I've not seen it before."

"Oh, it was one of the ones taken with those disposable cameras. She got them developed once they were home and sent me that one. I liked it so I got it framed."

"Ah," Danny couldn't add anything to it. He was still looking at the image of the two of them, tuxes as loose as their bodies after a few beers and laughs as they sat so close to one another and looked to be really happy and care free. It wasn't often that happened - not in the year they'd had - and he'd been grateful for it. It was nice to have the moment right here in his hands again.

The shower door opening startled Danny, as Steve stepped out, grabbed his towel and watched Danny. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Danny coughed and handed the picture to Steve. "I like it, too."

They just looked at each other for a moment, and Danny remembered why he invested so much of himself in Steve.

"Your turn," Steve broke the spell over them. "You want a hand in there? Or a mouth, or anything?"

"I'm good," he leaned up and kissed Steve chastely on the lips, noticing he could still taste Steve's spunk in his mouth. "Some of us have the ability to go more than five minutes without."

"Well, hurry up then. The sooner we get to work, the sooner we can get through today and have our night together."


	19. Day 19: Hat

The day went slowly, boring in a sense. Routine. But Danny liked that sometimes he wasn't being shot at or hurtling around in the Camaro while Steve showed how not to drive safely. He, Chin and Lou had all continued trying to work the Sanderson case. Lou had left with Kono at one point to give evidence in court. Steve… Steve had been pottering around. He'd gone out for a bit as well, though Danny had no clue what he might still have left to organize. Unless he wasn't doing anything for their night together. Maybe it was just normal stuff; they both had a right to not always be considering the other person and instead just getting on with things.

It was further into the afternoon when Danny noticed Steve and Lou talking in the middle of the office space, though at first he hadn't realized it was Steve he was looking at.

He pushed his seat back and headed out. When Lou saw him coming, he patted Steve's shoulder and took his leave.

"What's all this?" Danny motioned in a circle around his face.

"What's what?" Steve responded. "What? It's a baseball cap and sunglasses. You've seen them before."

"Yes, I have. And most people wear them to ball games, or doing outdoors stuff. You are not outside, Steven. Take them off."

"Danny-"

"Take them off," Danny said again, more forcefully.

Steve sighed, took off his hat and smoothed his hair down, then, finally, took the glasses off and glanced around at anything but Danny.

Danny hissed in sympathy then moved closer, fingertips lightly touching against the swollen area around Steve's eye and marveling at how there could be so many different colors of bruising mixed together. "I don't know, Steven. I think it looks worse."

"It's not worse, it's fine."

"Steve," Danny dropped his hand and put it on his hip. "What are you doing? You should have this looked at again."

"It's fine. I'm not letting it get in the way."

"It's already in the way!" Danny motioned. "You can't see properly, you're in pain, probably not taking the painkillers like you should be and why? Because of your pride?"

"No, because we have plans!" Steve shot back. "I'm not letting this ruin my plans!"

"My- _**your**_ plans?" Danny asked, incredulous. "So these are _your_ plans? What, you put in all this time and effort making them and now nothing will get in the way of them? So when I was the one making the plans and all you had to do was show up, that was different. Because you weren't the one who put the effort in to organize everything so those ones don't matter. For those you won't insist with the Governor that you have somewhere to be, or take two seconds to ask a nurse at the hospital to call me, of course not. That would be A FUCKING EFFORT."

Steve had stayed quiet, letting Danny rant and get out his frustrations. Not that Steve had a choice in the matter. It was impossible to interrupt Danny; there was no way he'd listen or stop until he was done.

"Dann-"

"NO!" Danny yelled at him. "In fact, screw you. I'm calling off tonight. All of it, I'm calling it off. But unlike you, I'm actually giving you notice. I'm not going to make you sit around and wait and worry, I'm telling you right now. I'm being the bigger man and I'm looking you right in the- in the one working eye you have when I tell you this. Go screw yourself."

He stormed off to his office, slamming the door behind him. He screwed his hands up into fists and then flexed them out, over and over. 

Steve stood just outside, looking at him through the glass and when he spoke, it was muffed. "Just so that you know. I'm not canceling anything. It's all still happening. I'm not letting you call things off just because you're looking for an argument."

Oh, that was it. If Steve wanted an argument, he'd get one. Danny felt a wave of righteous anger swirl through his body and he yanked the door back open. "Is that another dig at me? Huh? Was I supposed to have fought to keep our plans before? How would I do that, Steven? I called and you didn't answer, you didn't tell me where you were! I don't have some kind of tracking device on you. I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE! Or if you were hurt, or kidnapped, or hell, out having a good time with someone else and had forgotten about me! I didn't know _anything_ and that was **your** fault. Not mine. Do not put this on me. None of it."

Steve stared at Danny. "How did-?" Clearly Danny had been sitting on this kind of rage for a while, holding it in, not letting Steve know how hurt he'd actually been, or still was, over what he'd done. He'd been treating a lot of it as a joke over the past 24 hours but for Danny, this was more, this was serious. "I don't. Danny, you're leaping around all over the place here, I'm losing track of what I'm sorry for."

"And what does that tell you, huh? That you've lost track? Because it tells me that I put up with a lot of your shit and it's draining. Okay? It's very…. very draining," he slumped, losing the energy to be so mad. He was, it was just difficult to keep the rigidity in his body anymore, and the madness was going sideways while sadness took its chance to take over.

"Danny," Steve reached out for him and when Danny took steps back to avoid him, they wound up further in Danny's office. Steve kicked the door shut behind them, aware that the others were getting a show and were probably worried about what might happen. Steve was able to get hold of Danny's wrists, to stop him protesting and pulled him in until he could wrap himself around the shorter man. 

"Steve, don't, please-" he protested and couldn't get any further because Steve kissed him, their lips pressed tightly together and the kiss grew strong, quickly. Danny was pushed up onto his desk as Steve loomed over him and there was a desperation between them, a need to be close despite the argument. The pull that was a constant between them was affronted by their arguing and had demanded they do this, insisted, wanted to prove to them that their sparks matched. Danny couldn't help but respond; hands clawed at Steve's clothing, moved all over his body and messed up his hair. "Steve, fuck," he breathed out as he hooked a leg around Steve's hip, pulling him closer.

"Danny, God, I want-," Steve growled into Danny's neck as his lips, tongue and teeth explored there before they moved back to Danny's lips to stop him breathing once again. When they broke apart he pushed his forehead against Danny's. "God, I could fuck you over this desk."

"Yeah," Danny nodded back, enjoying the idea, somehow giving Steve permission to do it and then, "No, wait, what?" he was losing track, his brain had fogged over, he'd been distracted but it wasn't all because of Steve, it had been his own fault, too.

Danny was able to calm his movements, his hands stopped Steve from opening his pants any further and then traced up his forearms to his shoulders once he knew Steve was paying attention. 

"We can't," he said, a note of dejection in his voice, because of the argument, because they were at work, because they didn't have any lube, even.

"Danny, I love you, I know I'm an idiot, I do, please. Please," he clutched the back of Danny's head, keeping him close and peppering light kisses on his hairline, and against his temple. "Please don't be mad at me."

"Steve, your attitude needs to change or none of this is going to work. You see the big picture but you don't think of how little things can add up and become big. You ignore problems you don't want to face until they blow up in front of you. Like I just did."

"Danny, I get it, I do. I suck at this and I've been thinking about myself more than you. That's why I'm trying to do all of this. I'm trying to show you that I know it's not all about me. And I just don't want anything to get in the way of that today."

"Which is great, but you're doing it again."

"What?"

"You just said _**you**_ don't want anything getting in the way of your plans. Did you stop for a second and think maybe I could have some input?"

"I- huh," Steve answered, his understanding evident in his grunt.

"Hey," Danny caught his eye. "I'm flattered about how much you want to do this, okay? I really am. It's the Steve McGarrett focus that I know and love but I'm worried about you. I don't want you getting worse and the night gets ruined anyway and I'm left standing there on my own. I can't do it anymore. I won't wait around like that. The next time it happens, I'm having dinner alone and I'm picking up whoever is at a table nearby," he warned and caught Steve's flash of jealousy. "Make sure that tonight is okay. Go get your eye checked again. Do it for me. Keep me in the loop and if there's any doubt about what you should or shouldn't do, then we cancel."

"Postpone. At best. But it won't come to that."

"Go to Tripler," he ordered, pushing Steve away. "They know you there, they'll get you seen quick."

Steve leaned back in to kiss Danny one more time. "I'm fine. I'm only doing this to keep you happy."

"As it should be," Danny smiled at him as he left. He was exhausted already and the day wasn't done. It wasn't often that they argued, despite everyone believing otherwise. When they argued, they _**argued**_ and it wasn't pleasant. It left a bad taste in Danny's mouth that was still there. He wasn't sure how much had actually been resolved and he felt a little bit sick himself, but he pushed it aside and consciously made himself be optimistic that Steve was learning, that he was growing with the relationship and understood Danny better and that things would be alright. Because they couldn't not be.


	20. Day 20: Column

There had been a text from Steve. Brief, but then, it was from Steve. Danny counted it as a miracle he'd got the message at all, even if all it said was 'things okay'.

He'd made his way home on his own, though he hadn't gone to his own house but to Steve's. Whatever happened that night would happen there so he went to wait, assuming Steve would take a little longer at the hospital and then get a taxi back.

He had loosened his shirt and shucked his shoes and was sitting on the sofa, feet up on the coffee table and remote control in hand when Steve arrived. 

"What are you doing? Why aren't you dressed?" 

"Hello to you, too," Danny answered, barely looking up from the television. "And I am dressed. Pants and shirt just like every day."

"We need to leave soon," Steve put his arms out and already began taking his shirt off.

Danny threw the remote into the corner of the sofa. "And I know this how? You've kept everything a secret from me! And besides, all you did was text 'okay' to me. I'm making assumptions that you mean the doc says your eye will be fine, but I could be wrong, so how about you stop being a dick and talk to me."

"Yes, he said it'll be fine. He even washed it all out again to be sure since I told him I had people worrying. Then I asked him if we could speed things up because I had a hot date and then I rushed home. Now can you please go get your suit on, the car will be here to pick us up in less than an hour."

"You ordered a car?"

"Well, I can't drive and besides, if we want to drink we need someone else to do the driving so I sorted everything out."

Danny got to his feet and shuffled to the stairs with an air of reluctance. He was actually quite tired and could do with a night in. "Are you sure about all this?"

"Positive. We are going to have an amazing night. Trust me," he said as he followed Danny up the steps, prodding him in the back to get him moving faster.

"I'm serious, Steven. If you fuck this up, just- I mean, if there weren't as many things about you in the 'pro' column as there are, I'd have ended this weeks ago. I hope you realize that."

Steve stopped, and when Danny couldn't feel the man's presence behind anymore, he paused and turned around. Steve's face was hard to read, but something in it told Danny that his remarks were maybe, finally being taken seriously.

"You were going to end this?" Steve asked, quietly.

"Feeling like you don't matter is not fun. And that's how it feels when the person you love doesn't show up for you and doesn't offer excuses until much later, as an after thought. When it happens repeatedly?" Danny shrugged. "You need to understand how serious I am, Steve. I'm done feeling like crap and I've meant it every goddamn time I've said it in the last 24 hours. If you fuck up again… I can't deal with it. I don't have the energy left to get upset about it."

"And it'll be my own fault," Steve finished, nodding, understanding. And fearful. He cleared his throat. "Not exactly the happiest way to start our night but it certainly gets the point across."

"Last chance to back out, Steve."

The other man slowly walked up to Danny and loomed over him, hands on each of Danny's arms. "You are not leaving my sight for the rest of the night. If I've learned anything in the last few minutes, it's that the thought of losing you is…" he shook his head, unable to articulate it. "Hearing you say- I jus- Danny, I love you. I know tonight won't fix everything but I want it to help and I don't want to wait to make things better."

"Okay," Danny nodded.


	21. Day 21: Towel

Danny didn't have a huge amount of time to make himself presentable, not when they both needed to shower and get dressed, but his suit fit him nicely, his tie was loose and comfortable and there wasn't a single hair out of place on his head when he stopped looking in the mirror and headed downstairs.

A few moments later, Steve came out of the kitchen where he'd been finishing up and stopped in his tracks. "Wow, you look…. good."

"Thanks, you do, too," Danny responded, a flush of pleasure running through him at Steve's appreciative look and he was tempted to remind Steve about the three times he'd missed out on this, but refrained. Only just. 

There was a honk from outside. "Right on time, let's go," Steve came closer, a hand closing around Danny's elbow and leading him outside.

He'd said he'd ordered a car, but Danny thought…. taxi. This wasn't taxi. It wasn't a stretched limo or anything but it was a gorgeous, shiny black town car. A Bentley, if he wasn't mistaken. And he could guess where Steve had hired it from because it was the kind people used for weddings, only they'd taken off all the accoutrements, but it was still pretty.

"Okay, so… you hired a car," Danny stated again. Clarification in his tone.

Steve smiled at him. "I did tell you."

"Yes, but this is a car. A proper car. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Come on," he led Danny over and opened the door to let him in, running around to the other side and letting himself in. He leaned up and spoke in hushed tones with the driver and then they were off. 

Steve reached out and grasped Danny's hand in his own.

"You're not telling me anything?" Danny asked.

"I think it's better if I show you," Steve replied, lifting their joined hands and kissing the back of Danny's.

It took a while to arrive, about twenty minutes or so and Danny got more confused when they headed out of the center of Honolulu and not in the direction of Waikiki. And they were going up, which meant there had to be something outside of the city and into the middle of the island that he didn't know about. Perfectly reasonable. After all, he didn't really go anywhere or discover much by himself. He had to be introduced to the Island, and mostly by Steve. He figured this was just another one of those situations.

When they pulled over, it was into a small, stony car park that had a few trails leading off from it. 

They got out with a thank you to the driver who would be waiting for their return, and Danny looked around. This wasn't a restaurant. "I'm confused," he said, pointing around them. "I'm also hungry and I don't think they serve food up here."

"Relax," Steve assured him. "I got this tip from Chin about the view up here. It was one of Malia's favorites on the Island and I know you have that spot you like so I figured, somewhere with a view would be nice."

"And then we go eat?" Danny asked, assuming this meant some kind of romantic interlude before dinner.

"You'll see," Steve smiled again. Or smirked knowingly seemed more appropriate as he took Danny's hand again and led him out beyond a thatch of trees and into a more open area, which looked gorgeous at this time of day. That was when Danny spotted it - a table, with two chairs. They were a dark metal in intricate design, with soft cushions on the seat and the table was set for dinner and had one of those fake candlesticks glowing in the center.

Okay.

"Okay," he repeated out loud and then looked down to the trail of red towels held down at each corner with large rocks. The path of them led up to the table. "What…?"

"I couldn't get a red carpet at late notice. Nahele went out to the store and got these for me. It still does the job, right?" He asked, a little unsure of himself.

Danny just looked around. "This isn't a restaurant."

"I brought it to us, instead," Steve explained. "Like you did with your mom and dad only it's a smaller scale. Again, I couldn't do as much as I'd have liked on short notice."

Steve led Danny across the red carpet towels and to the table, gesturing for him to sit. 

"This isn't what I… expected," Danny said as he sat. It wasn't what he _wanted_. He had no idea what Steve was playing at, but he'd just wanted them to finally go to a nice restaurant, order some good food and relax in good company. This…. this was looking like dinner but… there were no walls. He was fond of walls.

He glanced at Steve, who seemed uncharacteristically nervous, but he was trying. And he was doing his best. Danny didn't have it in him to tell Steve this wasn't the kind of thing he'd ever have picked for them, and he'd thought that with Steve trying to make things up to him, that he'd have chosen something Danny would have automatically liked. That had been his point, right? That he wanted to do something more like _**he**_ wanted, rather than Steve.

But his point had also been about compromise. And this was still dinner, and he had wanted that. He was going to keep quiet and smile and see where this led.


	22. Day 22: Hate

"You hate this, don't you," Steve grimaced as he leaned forward onto the table.

"I don't hate it," Danny shook his head.

"Yes, you do, I can see it on your face. I messed up. Where did I mess it up?" Steve rubbed his face and Danny moved a hand past the glasses and the light in the center of the table and grasped his hand.

"I don't hate it. I meant what I said. It's not what I expected. That's all."

"Unexpected in a good or bad way?"

"I don't know yet. We've just arrived. I'm just a little… caught off guard. I thought we were going to a restaurant, you know? Since there were other times we tried to I thought finally this was it and instead we're in the middle of nowhere and I don't know what's going on."

"A restaurant. That's all you expected?"

"Well, yes," Danny sat back. "I was looking forward to it, too. Please, don't get me wrong, I know you've gone to a lot of effort here with the car and the set up and whatever comes next. I appreciate it, I do."

"Except, you thought it would be different."

Danny nodded slowly. "I didn't need the grand romantic gesture, Steve. All I ever needed or wanted was you. It's what I still want." he smiled, small but easy as their eyes met and Steve reached over this time to squeeze Danny's hand. 

"So why are you so quiet? You get like this when you're angry or sad. Subdued. And I was hoping for a different response."

Danny took a breath, trying to work out how to say what he wanted to. "Do you remember when you found out I was claustrophobic?"

"Yeah," Steve hedged, wondering where it was going.

"I said to you back then that maybe you hadn't noticed because you weren't paying attention at times. And then after that, you made fun of me for it, you brushed it off like it was an irritation, forgetting that maybe what I was feeling was more serious than you realized. You only seemed to notice how bad it was when we were in that parking garage. When I was really struggling it was like you finally noticed, but only because you got whacked over the head about it. Before that, you were kind of a dick. Sometimes, you make a habit of being a dick about things until you truly understand them."

"And you're saying I've done the same thing again," Steve interpreted and Danny gave a slow nod.

"If I'm subdued, it's because I'm thinking. Thinking about how much of all of this is you overcompensating because you know you've been a dick. I'm wondering if you think you can do something massive and then go back to how you were before," he said it. He let it out, the worry he hadn't realized he'd been holding onto. Did Steve think doing something big once would be good, when all Danny cared about and would prefer were lots of little things? He'd always done the big things with Catherine, but they used to hardly see each other so it made sense, but he and Danny see each other every day and are in each others' pockets. Being ignored for stretches then treated to something big to make sure he didn't leave, wasn't going to cut it for Danny. This wasn't out of the blue, Steve seemed to always do this when he was apologizing, but Danny would prefer he just didn't have to apologize in the first place.

Steve took a breath and looked around. "Danny, I- I don't know how to reassure you. I don't think I can promise not to be a dick in the future because I probably will be. And you will, too. We both will. We'll fight and argue and then we'll want to make up."

"Yeah, I know, I get that. And trust me, I'm well aware that you put up with me valiantly at times. But you know what? Let's just push aside everything for now, let's treat this like a first date. I mean, for you it kind of is since you never properly dated before. Let's forget about the pressure, or the expectations. Let's start fresh and see where it takes us."

"Okay," Steve smiled. "I like that idea." He held his hand out across the table and Danny grasped it and shook. "I'm Steve McGarrett, it's nice to meet you."

"Danny Williams," Danny said through a laugh. "So, Steven, what brings you to the middle of nowhere?"

"Dinner, actually. I hope you like pizza, Daniel."

"Very much. Just so long as there's no pineapple on it."

"Well, then, it's a good job I ordered pepperoni," Steve answered. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his shirt jacket that Danny hadn't noticed before and signaled someone who must have been waiting nearby. It was a delivery boy carrying a flat delivery bag and he took out the box, handing it to Danny who could feel the heat still in it. Steve paid the boy and gave him a handsome tip for coming all the way out to where they were and was told that someone Danny had never heard of said hi. Sounded like Steve had used an old friend to help him out again.

"Only thing missing is the beer," Danny commented. 

"Wait!" Steve held his hand up then jumped out of his seat and headed to a nearby boulder. He reached behind it and pulled out a cool bag and brought it over, taking two bottles out and placing them on the table. 

Danny opened up the box and gestured to Steve. "Let's get started."


	23. Day 23: Ornament

Dinner had been good and they talked and joked about things like it was the first time they'd met, with Steve calling bullshit when Danny had 'lied' to him about where he was from. The pizza had been passable by Danny's standards - which meant it was probably the Island's finest so he was thankful that Steve knew where to order from, and the beer had been cold.

He leaned back in his chair when they were done and for the first time in a while felt like he was enjoying Steve's company without any niggling worries in the back of his head. It reminded him of how it had been when they'd first kissed and confessed to wanting more from each other. It was the complications that came after, whether from either of their insecurities over relationships or just how their jobs and personal lives could collide on occasion that had started them down this road.

Steve leaned his elbows on the table and played with the beer bottle in front of him. "I've been thinking, about what you said earlier."

"I said a lot of things," Danny admitted. "Not all of it pleasant so if you need to talk to me about how annoying I can be, feel free."

"No, it's not that. It's…. What you said about how I acted over your claustrophobia. How I seem to just push things aside, call your injuries booboos and act like nothing is a big deal…. it reminded me of something. I guess I never really put two and two together until now."

Danny mirrored Steve's stance and leaned his elbows on either side of his plate. "Reminded you of what?"

"There was a guy in my unit. He used to carry around this little…. well, ornament thing. It was a little glass figurine of a seal. He said it was his good luck charm and we made fun of him for it all the time, telling him it was stupid to carry around something like that. One day our convoy was attacked and during the firefight we lost one of the men. It was his best friend, actually. When the dust settled I found him sitting on the step of one of the vehicles and he was crying his eyes out. I sat next to him and I just figured…. he's lost his best friend, he's upset."

"Please don't tell me you said something stupid."

"No, it- He opened the palm of his hand and inside were the broken bits of the seal, the glass digging under his skin and he said to me 'I lost my good luck'."

"So what you're saying," Danny said, subdued in response to Steve's story. "Is that you learned to brush things aside on the battlefield?"

"Well," Steve took a breath. "I knew what he meant. Though I guess you could interpret it in a couple of ways. For one, he blamed himself, thinking that by breaking his good luck charm that he'd jinxed the team but also he was just… trying not to think about the friend he lost by putting his feelings onto something else."

Danny took a sharp breath. "I get it," he said and Steve gave him a strange look. "I do, it's a coping mechanism, it makes sense."

"So you understand that it doesn't mean I don't care?"

"Yeah," Danny looked around them. "Just like you know that I tend to try and make a joke, throw out some sarcasm or just chew you out for being stupid. It's so that I don't let the worry surface."

"I do know that."

"I know a lot of your life is classified but getting to know you more through this kind of stuff? It helps," he caught Steve's eyes. "It's when I don't know what's going on that sucks. You bailing on me and not giving me a reason… once you talk to me about things, we can fix them. Or attempt to. Or change up how we do things to compensate for something."

"Like my being shitty as a boyfriend."

"You're not a shitty boyfriend. You've been a shitty date in times gone by, but you're not a shitty boyfriend," Danny smiled. 

"So you're not going to kick me to the curb for messing up all the time."

Danny took a moment and this time he appreciated Steve's worry, his attentiveness and concern. He took into account the effort he'd gone to so far and sure, the grand gesture was unnecessary but it was Steve. It was a part of who Steve was to go over the top when he felt he needed to fix something and it would likely never change. It's not like they were both saints - they'd both mess up down the line and need to make it up and this was Steve's way of doing it and always had been. Hopefully he just might realize for himself sometimes rather than needing it pointed out to him.

"No," he finally answered. "For one very good reason."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Because I'm good in bed?"

Danny laughed. "No, you idiot. Though it is true. No, I mean because I love you. And I think we're good together and that overrides the bad things."

"I love you, too."


	24. Day 24: Ocean

Steve took Danny's hand and led him away from their makeshift picnic spot, though it wasn't really a picnic - not with Steve having gone to the trouble of setting it up with furniture but essentially, a picnic is what it was and Danny was going to think of it as such. 

They were pretty high up, with a view down over a quieter stretch of the island's beaches and the ocean lapping at the shoreline. Danny could hear it from where they were as they walked, with everything else quiet around them, no other people within earshot and the sun beginning to sink over the horizon. It was a postcard of Oahu and Danny could appreciate why Steve wanted to bring him up here even if it wasn't his own ideal romantic situation.

He swatted at his neck. 

That was why. He hadn't put on bug spray before coming up to the wilderness at this time of day. 

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" Steve asked, out of the blue, and Danny stopped dead in his tracks, mouth gaping open.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Steve turned to him, almost laughing at the expression on Danny's face. "If I asked you to marry me. Would you say yes?"

"Are you asking?" Danny all but squeaked.

"No, not right now," Steve admitted with a squeeze of Danny's hand. "But I've been thinking about it. All day, actually. I had hoped tonight would go really well and you'd love it and be more convinced about how serious I am about you and our future. I considered bringing it up and kept wondering how you'd react. But I fucked up all over the place and so no, I'm not asking. Because right now I know you'd say no and I'm holding out for a better answer."

"I almost dumped you," Danny said, empty hand emphatic as it pointed it out to Steve. "And you counter that with a proposal?"

"No, I just said I'm not asking. I'm just gauging the response right now, that's all. I know I've been fucking up, but I want to get us to a place where marriage is a real possibility."

"Babe-"

"I love you, Danny Williams," Steve pulled Danny in close. "And my heart broke at the thought of us not being together. You being honest with me, telling me how bad it really was getting for you and that I didn't even see it? That's the best thing you could have done because I am going to fight to make sure you don't feel like that again."

"I know," Danny nodded, fingers tangling in Steve's shirt and he smiled as he watched them. "Just remember that I don't need flashy grand gestures. I just need you. And for you to show up and pay attention. That goes for every day, not just the wedding day, okay?"

Steve did a bit of a double take and tried to contain the smile on his face. "Was that your answer? Are you saying yes?"

"Nothing's been asked so no, I'm not saying yes. Not now. But there's no reason to not say yes in the future. I love you, too."

"Good to know," Steve said with a slow, happy nod before he leaned down to connect their lips together in a gentle but affirming kiss and Danny could swear the ocean grew louder and joined with the blood rushing through his ears as his own heart began to heal from the bashing Steve had inadvertently given it.


	25. Day 25: Naked

Steve's hands skirted up Danny's arm, to his shoulders and then under the suit jacket, the material beginning to slip down Danny's arms, bunching at his elbows. "I don't know what I was thinking," he breathed into their next kisses. 

"What are you talking about?" Danny responded, palms flat against the heat of Steve's chest, fingertips pressing through the spaces between the buttons on his shirt.

"Leaving you alone in those places while you were wearing this. I bet everyone was looking, wondering what it would take to have you. You got hit on, didn't you. And I wasn't there to stop it because I was being an idiot."

"You don't need to continue the flattery, Steven. I'm right here, I already forgave you. Mostly."

"I mean it," Steve said with a frown, pulling back to look at Danny. "Did you get hit on?"

Danny rolled his eyes at Steve. "No," he answered, stressing it. Actually, it was kind of sad for him, a weird reminder that no matter what Steve thought, most other people didn't think Danny was anything special. But he didn't need them to, or want them to. If everyone else thought he was ugly, he didn't care, because Steve saw something different and better and that was all that mattered to him. "You do remember that anytime we do go on nights out with the team or lunch at Kamekona's, it's _**you**_ who gets all the offers from the pretty waitresses. You and Kono, actually."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Steve shook his head but his brain was only half functioning if the glassy look in his eyes was anything to go by. Danny thought at first he was getting lost inside his jealous thoughts but then he looked down to see where Steve was beginning to loosen Danny's belt and he knew it was something else entirely. 

He put his hands on top of Steve's, halting them. "Can we go home now? Please? Because I don't have bug spray on and I am not having sex up against a tree. It'll be fully dark soon and I hate the great outdoors at night. Please."

Steve perked up. "So… up against a tree is out. That still means I'm going to get lucky tonight if you're thinking about where we're going to have sex."

"At home. In bed. Like normal people," Danny smiled despite trying to keep some sense of control on the situation. 

Steve pondered his words. "I want you to keep the suit on."

"Normal people get naked," Danny pointed out. 

"Oh, I'll get you naked, I'm just going to take my time with it."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "If you get cum all over this, you're paying for the dry cleaning."

"Deal," Steve answered, grabbing Danny's hand and pulling him back the way they came and moving quickly, determined to get back to the waiting car and back home as soon as possible.


	26. Day 26: Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy 5 months since I did anything for this fic. but it's a challenge I want to finish and I'm over the whole Team Steve and Team Danny thing now (mostly, and I'm still Team Danny) so I'm going to get this thing finished.

They had rushed back to the car, the driver still waiting for them and reading a newspaper in the front seat. Steve had asked him to get them home as quickly as possible. Considering the whole atmosphere around their 'date' it could in no way be lost on the driver what was going to happen, but at least they made it all the way home with no clothing being removed.

Danny felt himself being bundled over the front doorstep and the door closing behind them with a loud thump. Steve immediately began taking his own clothes off, jacket and pants in a heap, shoes toed off and kicked away and he looked up at Danny while unbuttoning his shirt. 

"Stay right there, don't touch anything, I want to do it myself."

"That's fine, I'll just enjoy the show while I wait then," Danny smirked back at him, changing his stance and crossing his arms as he watched Steve get more and more naked resisting the urge to touch himself through his pants, even a little. 

Once done, Steve approached Danny with a quizzical look, like an artist would give a canvas. He reached out and loosened Danny's top buttons, he let his hands skirt down over Danny's chest and yank his shirt mostly out of his pants. He gave it a moment to consider him again and then he braved it and put his hands in Danny's perfectly styled hair and began to muss it up. 

"Hey!" Danny protested. "That's crossing the line, buddy."

"Just trust me on this," Steve assured him. He seemed happy enough and he grabbed Danny's hand and pulled him up the stairs to the bedroom. 

Danny was allowed to let his shoes wind up somewhere in the hallway and then Steve had him inside the bedroom and staring at himself in the full length mirror while Steve stood naked behind him. He looked like he'd already had sex, his suit was rumpled and all over the place, his face was flushed, his hair sticking up in places. He thought he looked pretty good, actually, half tailored and half loose-fitting, in all the right places.

Steve's hands grasped at Danny's hips and then journeyed over his body, up and round his chest all while Danny watched in the mirror. He pressed close to Danny's back, enough for Danny to feel his erection at the cleft of his ass, and his suit jacket rode up as Steve's hands circled over his shirt covered nipples. 

He licked and sucked at Danny's neck and then breathed warm against his ear. "I'm going to enjoy fucking you while you wear this suit and then every time we go out on a date, you're going to wear it and I'm going to be able to sit there and think about this and it'll take all my willpower not to get hard in every restaurant in Honolulu."

Danny swallowed, watching Steve's darkened eyes in the mirror. He turned his head, their stubbled cheeks rubbing, chafing, but neither caring. "That's a lot of restaurants."

"And I promise you right now, we're going to have a date night in every single one of them."

Danny just smiled and immediately got with the program, lips meeting Steve's, sucking on his tongue and not wanting it to stop.


	27. Day 27: Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I played it a little loose with the word for the day but hey, they got some 'action' ;)

Steve didn't let Danny move. He kept him in front of the long mirror, both of them watching as he slid his hands to pop the button on his fly and move the zip slowly down, hand ducking in underneath Danny's underwear to cup his growing erection, giving it a few experimental tugs before his hand came back out and slipped up his shirt. 

He undid two buttons about halfway up so that he could get his hand under. His thumb brushed over a nipple, making it harden and he pinched at it while his mouth pressed open kisses into Danny's neck and jawline. 

"Don't move," he ordered as he backed away to the nightstand so that he could grab the lube. 

"You're really going to do this while I'm still wearing clothes?" Danny asked again as a naked Steve returned. 

"As much as possible," Steve smiled, bent his knees and rubbed his own hard dick against Danny's clothes ass. He brought his arms around Danny, both watching as he uncapped the lube and squeezed some onto his fingers, rubbing them together, spreading and warming the sticky sub stand before he slipped his hand behind Danny. His dry hand slapped at Danny's hip. "Spread 'em."

Danny shuffled his legs wider and Steve's hand stroked down the cleft of his ass, a finger pushing in the moment it brushed against his hole. He shoved it in and out of Danny, the material of his pants moving and tightening around him with every outward pull and he tried to widen his legs further.

Two fingers became three and Steve wiped his hand against Danny's ass cheeks as he brought it out. He shoved at the material, letting it fall down Danny's legs until it was in a heap at his ankles but he didn't let Danny step out of it - he wanted it still to be there, in a messy pile. 

Steve slicked himself up, braced and bent his legs again and slapped his dick against Danny's hole as he held his ass apart. He rubbed it in circles around Danny's open hole and then pushed in, grunting and moaning at the tightness while Danny practically fell forward, hands landing on the wall on each side of the mirror as he got used to the intrusion. 

Soon enough, Steve was inside him enough to begin thrusting, knowing that each one would get him that little bit deeper. He was slow at first, relaxed, enjoying it, but then he needed more, harder, both of them did.

He lifted one of Danny's legs with an arm user his knee; his pants leg going inside out with the movement and it made everything easier. Steve's hard thrusts made Danny fall more into the mirror until he was up against it. It wobbled each time Steve shoved his dick in until Steve stopped, a guttural sound trapped in his throat and his head on Danny's shoulder as he came deep inside of him. He kept pounding his dick into Danny's ass, once, twice, three times and then held still. He gave himself a few moments recovery time and then, with energy Danny hadn't expected, he pulled back, making Danny wince at the speed in which Steve's dick fell out of him, leaving him empty. 

He was whirled around and his ass pressed into the mirror instead as Steve went to his knees, hand fumbling behind Danny's balls and a finger shoving inside his hole as his warm, wet mouth engulfed Danny's cock and began sucking and licking against his dick. It didn't take long, and he was emptying into Steve's mouth before sliding down to sit on the floor. 

When his breathing returned to normal, and the sweat ran cold over his body he looked down at himself. His jacket was pulling on him almost sideways, his shirt was a sweaty, scrupled mess and his pants were still trapped on his ankles.

He sat himself forward and tiredly took the jacket off, letting it fall wherever it landed and Steve's hand shot out to help him finish with his shirt. "Let me, I got it," he said and Danny just relaxed back while Steve got him out of his clothes. 

Steve stood first, giving Danny a helping hand up so that he didn't trip on his pants and underwear and he braced himself on Steve's arm while he extracted himself. 

"You can explain this one to the dry cleaners," Danny told Steve as he padded over to the bed and collapsed onto hit face first.

"With pleasure," Steve said and Danny felt the dip on the bed and then a hand lightly stroke up and down his back. Fingers made their way lower with each pass until they explored further down to Danny's hole and massaged around it.

Steve kissed Danny's shoulder. "So… is there a verdict on the date?"

"You showed up," Danny murmured into the pillow. "That's all I ever cared about."

"I promise you, I won't miss another one."

"Don't jinx it."


	28. Day 28: Religion

He jinxed it. The bastard jinxed it. Okay so they'd had a good month there with a weekly date night they tried to keep to around Grace time and work and anything else unexpected. They'd made plans to go out this evening but those were out the window now. 

Danny sat and stared at the trees outside said window and then down to his cup of cooling coffee and shook his head. 

"Bastard. I told you not to jinx it. And what did you do?"

He shuffled his seat closer and took Steve's hand.

"The next time someone shoots at you, get out the way of it, huh? Or better yet, don't antagonize a drugged up idiot with a gun. Maybe then you won't get shot at in the first place."

They were lucky. The bullet was in Steve's side, it was more of a graze than anything but he'd needed a ton of stitches and they wanted to keep him in overnight to make sure there was no infection, considering where they'd been when he got shot. No one trusted that drug den to not be filled with God only knew what kind of bacteria.

"I was trying to calm him, not antagonize him. He was yelling about how whatever he was on was some kind of religious experience, nirvana thing and we needed him to shut up so we could get the guys in the next room."

"Yeah, well, that backfired immensely. We're all lucky we didn't get shot," he sighed. "And date night is ruined. Though, at least I know where you are this time."

Steve smiled at Danny, and he could only assume it was because of the good painkillers but there was something else in that look. 

"What?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 

"If I recall correctly, there's a restaurant in the hospital."

"There's a canteen. With a vending machine or two."

"Close enough. Let's just mark off the hospital on our restaurant tour of Honolulu."

"You're an idiot."


	29. Day 29: Lips

"Come here," Steve gestured and wiped a finger across Danny's lip to remove the patch of sauce at the corner. 

"This also does not count, by the way," Danny gestured with his plastic fork, across the console in the middle of the Camaro. "Since we have to miss our reservation because of this stakeout, does not mean we get to tick this restaurant off."

"The food is still from there, we're just not getting to enjoy it at one of their tables."

"Exactly. We're not IN the restaurant, ergo, it doesn't count so we have to double back to it. No crossing it off the list."

A few years ago, Danny had fully jumped into this notion of them actually getting a date in every restaurant in Honolulu. And once Danny latched onto a tradition, it was permanent and he would not be swayed from it. Which meant he was also a stickler for the rules of said tradition and being inside the establishment was one of them. 

"Fine, we'll double back. And hey, if we catch these guys soon, maybe we can get back there tonight in time for desert."

"Maybe not," Danny wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. "What exactly is this kind of food again? My lips are tingling, is that a good or a bad sign? It could be an allergy or something, right?"

"It's just the spices, don't worry about it," Steve shook his head then put down the plastic container with his takeout and leaned over the center console, a hand behind Danny's neck and pulling him into a quick kiss. When he straightened up, he licked at his own lips. "Yeah, it's just the spices," he smiled. 

"You could have just taken a forkful," Danny pointed out. 

"More fun my way," Steve winked.


	30. Day 30: History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I maybe cheated a little and went with 'tradition' and looking back as a means of using the word of the day :)

Danny straightened his tie and then ran a hand through his hair, making sure it was perfectly styled - what little of it there was left. 

"You know," he started. "We finished this thing twenty years ago and yet, you keep finding ways to keep it going."

"Hey, restaurants come and go, they change ownership or names or get newly built. It's not my fault this city keeps changing the goalposts on us," he came closer and bent down with only a small hiss at the reluctant joints in his body as he helped make sure the bottom of Danny's pants were correct over his shoes.

"I still think it's just an excuse for you to get me into this old suit. Admit it, you missed the tie when I stopped wearing it everyday," Danny winked at Steve as he straightened himself, hobbling around his chair so that he could begin pushing.

"You got me," Steve said as they made their way to the door. "I told you I'd never forget that night and I never have."

Danny reached a hand back and clutched it over Steve's on the chair's handles as they moved. "Whoa, wait a second, you got your stick?"

"I don't need my stick, I'm holding onto your chair, it keeps me upright just fine."

"Get your stick and stop using up all your energy pushing me when I can do it myself just fine with the dohickey electrical thing."

"Fine, fine," Steve hobbled to the side and grabbed his walking stick. "Better?" he asked. 

"Much," Danny smiled. "Have I ever told you how refined and sexy you look with that thing? Even with all the grey hair and wrinkles I still imagine you using it to beat on a criminal who would dare to interrupt our date night."

"You know I would."

"I know, babe. Tradition is important. I can't believe we kept it up all these years. Here we are still getting these monkey suits on and going out for a night, despite our health… promise me that when I'm gone you'll still do this? Take a friend, take Gracie or just take a book but always go out and try any new restaurants that open up. I don't want you moping at home, babe."

"I promise," Steve said quietly, putting aside thoughts of the two heart attacks Danny had the month before and refusing to think about his own tumor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done. that was an adventure. More so in the Team Danny and Team Steve battle that went on in the comments section that made me step back for a while. Originally I got pissed off and planned to break them up (when I saw history was the last word I was going to make their relationship history, you know) but I decided not to in the end. Anyway, I'm not going to weigh into the comments section too much anymore. I just wanted to complete it and get it out of the way. If you liked it, great. If there's another challenge in the future, count me in again even though there were times I really didn't enjoy writing this one.


End file.
